I wrote this poem: Holes in the World

Posted on Monday, April 14th, 2008 in poems Tags: , ,

This is the NaPoWriMo poem that’s finding most favour on the forum where I’ve been publishing them.  It was inspired by this photo of the Manhattan skyline on New York Nitty-Gritty (a great photo blog).

Holes in the World

There’s a hole in the skyline,
an inverse gravemarker
for those who fell.

You can’t help but notice it,
and then you can’t help but know
it’s there - not there -
like a missing tooth:
awkward and painful
and a reminder of things
you wish you couldn’t remember
but you know you don’t want to forget.

© 2008 C Sharp

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7 Responses to 'I wrote this poem: Holes in the World'

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  1. no imageNancy Luckhurst (Who am I?) said,

    on April 15th, 2008 at 3:49 pm

    Great poem.

    I used to work with a guy in Rochester, NY who was on the phone with his girlfriend in NYC when one of the planes hit. He said you could hear it over the phone. She was in a nearby building, and got out okay.

    I know I’ll never forget that terrible, terrible day.

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  2. no imageJennifer Robin (Who am I?) said,

    on April 15th, 2008 at 3:57 pm

    How very apropos. Well, written, and I like the flow of it.

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  3. no imageFrancis Scudellari (Who am I?) said,

    on April 15th, 2008 at 5:04 pm

    “inverse gravemarker” is a very simple but powerful image. I really like the way you give absence a tangible quality. Nicely done.

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    		2.9
  4. no imageKen Armstrong (Who am I?) said,

    on April 15th, 2008 at 8:15 pm

    I’m no poet, Catherine, but let me tell you how it reading it worked out for me.

    My eye was drawn to the poetry, so I completely missed the intro (with the photo and all).

    I didn’t ‘connect with the poem, didn’t get it… Then I came back earlier today and read the intro.

    Reading the poem again, with the context and understanding the intro and photo had given me, I found it apt and meaningful.

    What do we learn from this? “Ken is a fool.” well, no we’ve established that already. But, perhaps (?) a title might be given to the poem which mght help to contextualise it or else might it be married to the photo in some some way?

    Or else left exactly as it is - ‘cos wot do i know?

    anyway… respect.

    k

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    		2.8
  5. no imageFiendish (Who am I?) said,

    on April 16th, 2008 at 5:29 pm

    I agree with Ken, in that a title that ties it to the subject would be nice. The image of the “missing tooth” is wonderful; I also love the “inverse gravemarker”. Instead of something being put up in their commemoration, something is left down. It’s almost more appropriate.

    Well done.

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  6. no imageCatherine (Who am I?) said,

    on April 19th, 2008 at 12:54 pm

    Thanks for the comments, and especially for the feedback about the poem’s theme not being obvious. You’re right, it probably isn’t (although someone on the forum where I’m posting my NaPoWriMo poems did figure it out). I might just tag something else on the end of the title, such as ‘- September 11th’ to try and make it clearer.

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  7. no imageShari (Who am I?) said,

    on April 21st, 2008 at 3:26 pm

    It’s a good poem and title. Specific is always good, especially if you think you may need a picture to convey a poem’s meaning.

    A date would work; or, you could add “New York City” before “skyline.”

    I went to New York just to see the empty space–out of respect. Even before that, the staggering reality of important buildings, lives, and things that mattered being brutally destroyed, caught me up in the story. It doesn’t take a lot; minimal I think is appropriate here and very touching.

    Thanks for sharing, Catherine.

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